Locust Digitate Leafminer Moth

Parectopa robiniella

The locust digitate leafminer is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is native to North America, but was accidentally introduced to Italy, where it was first found in 1970. It has now been recorded from Italy, France, Germany, Slovenia, Croatia, Austria, Slovakia, Romania, Ukraine and Hungary.
Locust Digitate Leafminer - Parectopa robiniella TL: 5 mm. Brown FW with a pattern of white, slanting lines. Hosts: Fleabane and plantain. Status: Common. Habitat: Attracted to a 395 nm light in a semi-rural area 2020(d) Geotagged,Locust Digitate Leafminer Moth,Moth Week 2020,Parectopa robiniella,Summer,United States,moth

Appearance

The wingspan is about 5 mm.
Locust Digitate Leafminer Moth Damage (Parectopa robiniella) on Desmodium sp. Leaf mine damage on Desmodium sp. at the edge of a dense mixed forest. https://bugguide.net/node/view/1081385/bgimage Geotagged,Parectopa robiniella,Summer,United States

Distribution

The moth flies in two to three generations per year in Hungary.
Locust Digitate Leafminer - Parectopa robiniella The photo is obviously terrible, but we didn't have the adult recorded. Habitat: Attracted to a 395 nm light in a semi-rural area 2020(49) Geotagged,Locust Digitate Leafminer Moth,Parectopa,Parectopa robiniella,Spring,United States,moth

Food

The larvae feed on ''Robinia'' species, including ''Robinia pseudoacacia''. It mines the leaves of the host plant. The common name is derived from "digitate", referring to the "finger-like" excavations all around the margins of the central blotch of the mine.

References:

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Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionArthropoda
ClassInsecta
OrderLepidoptera
FamilyGracillariidae
GenusParectopa
SpeciesP. robiniella
Photographed in
United States of America